Jewelry and other small parts accumulate dirt, oils, and other contaminants that affect not only the aesthetic beauty of the item, but also its comfort and safety. Items such as rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces are commonly worn for long periods of time in close contact with the human body. Additionally, rings, bracelets, and other jewelry worn on the hands and wrist come into frequent contact with dirt, stains, pollutants and other environmental contaminants, many that contain or foster bacteria or other microorganisms. This problem is particularly acute for health care and food service workers. The accumulation of dirt and other contaminants leads to the loss of attractiveness of the jewelry, as well as to possible skin irritation to the wearer, and to the transmission of microorganisms to people or objects that contact the unclean jewelry.
Accordingly, there is a need to clean and sanitize jewelry and other small parts. However, the small size and intricate patterns of many jewelry items and small parts makes cleaning them difficult, tedious, and often ineffective. Given the expense of many jewelry items, cleaning procedures must be safe, gentle, and insure that small objects/parts, such as gemstones, are not dislodged and lost. As a result, most people have their jewelry cleaned by taking them to a professional jeweler; this is both inconvenient and expensive, and so is rarely done.
Automatic dishwashing machines provide the same elements used by some professional jewelers to clean jewelry; hot water mixed with a cleaning solution is pressurized and impinges upon the item. Automatic dishwashing machines are readily available, effective cleaning tools but are designed to hold and to maximize the cleaning of dishes, not jewelry. The present disclosure utilizes the ready availability of dishwashing machines, and their efficiency in cleaning and sanitizing large objects, while providing an apparatus and method for adapting these machines to safely and effectively clean and sanitize jewelry and other small items.